


Silver Screen Cinderella

by acuteneurosis



Series: Caught in the Act [10]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Gen, How does he always know?, Lory is always suspicious, Makeover, Special Audition, What is Lory even doing there?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-05 19:24:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acuteneurosis/pseuds/acuteneurosis
Summary: She's not working at the best job, so even if he's crazy when the cosplaying gentleman offers her a chance at something new, there's no way Kyoko is going to resist.





	Silver Screen Cinderella

**Author's Note:**

> Vol 2 Act 7

Kyoko stared at the man in front of her, blinking slowly. It was not every day that a man dressed like some sort of Western noble came in and ordered at a fast food joint. Well, he had not actually ordered anything yet, but his very presence in the building was impossible. The rest of the staff had completely frozen, and even Kyoko's manager was staring in blank shock. The other customers were completely distracted, and one of them had even stopped in the middle of chewing and was staring with his mouth hanging open.

Kyoko decided it was time to intervene.

"Welcome to Moz Burger. I can take your order, sir." The mustachioed gentleman turned the full force of his gaze on her, looked her up and down briefly, and smiled broadly.

"Hello. Have you ever worked as an actress before?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring the line of people behind him and stepping closer to the counter, shadowed closely by a man in a servant's livery, a silent and stoic figure.

" _What kind of con is this guy trying to run?"_ Kyoko asked herself, her professional smile still in place. "No sir, I never have. Will this order be just for you, or for your… friends as well?" The small ensemble of courtesans behind him chatted and tittered, looking down their noses at the rest of the room. The man in front glanced behind him and laughed.

"No, just an order for me. A number one set with a small Coke. Have you ever considered acting? Or modeling? You have good posture and a good figure."

Now he was really starting to make her nervous. "A double cheeseburger with a small fry and a Coke? Will that be all?"

"Yes. You really should consider it, you know. Acting can be a very fulfilling profession. You learn about all sorts of things and get to experience being all kinds of people."

"Your total comes to seven hundred sixty yen. If you will wait over there we'll get your order right away."

"Thank you," he said, handing over his money and accepting the change. "If you'd like to try it, you can come to an audition I'm holding. I'm starting a new project and I need some models to advertise it. Just stop by the LME office building and tell the front desk that you want to try out for the LoveMe initiative. It's a come as you are project, and we'll have professional make-up artists on site."

That caught her attention. It must have showed on her face because the man's smile became something perilously close to a smirk. She regained her composure and smiled blandly.

"Thank you for your patronage. If you could wait over there?"

"Of course. If you have any trouble when you talk to the front desk, tell them that Lory recommended you. I look forward to seeing you there."

In a few more minutes he had collected his food and left. It took a full five minutes after that for everyone to fully recover their senses and continue with their business. The manager thanked Kyoko and sighed.

"Crazy people," he grumbled. "You did a good job with him. I'm sorry that he harassed you."

"It's no trouble," Kyoko answered. And it was true. The man, Lory, had seemed a little crazy, but he had been fairly polite. And he was no worse than the drunks that Kyoko had dealt with growing up and working at the Fuwa Ryokan. He had been odd, but not harmful. Kyoko had to admit that it was tempting to go, just for the novelty of getting dressed up and having her makeup done. But it still sounded like a scam…

* * *

"Sho-chan, have you heard of LME before?" Kyoko asked, dishing him up another serving of rice. Sho stared back at her, a disdainful look on his face.

"It's only one of the biggest companies in the entertainment industry. That pinhead actor works there. Geez, I thought you knew that."

"Oh," Kyoko said, surprised. She had a vague memory of Sho mentioning LME before, but in the six months they had been in Tokyo she had been so focused on his rising reputation that she had not yet paid too much attention to other things in the entertainment industry. Sho, of course, constantly brought up the name Tsuruga Ren as the man that he meant to completely defeat. But Kyoko had never really taken an interest in the actor.

"Here," Sho said, handing her a magazine he had been reading. "My manager gave me this today. She wanted to show me how my entering our agency had improved its popularity. You can see how I'm catching up to LME and the pinhead."

Kyoko gratefully accepted the magazine, eagerly turning the pages and devouring the small segment of the article dedicated to Sho and Akatoki Agency. The article featured a large picture of the infamous Tsuruga Ren as well, and Kyoko glanced at it briefly, her interest piqued. She glanced through the comments on LME, noting that the praise of the company was couched in lamentations on its eccentric president. Well, if this Takarada hired people like the Lory Kyoko had met that day, he was definitely eccentric.

"Sho."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think… I could be a model?"

He gaped for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You? A model? Kyoko, they have requirements for people who want to stand in front of cameras."

Kyoko bristled a little. "Someone today at work said that I had a nice figure," she mumbled, cutting Sho off. He frowned.

"Who said that?" he demanded.

"Just… a customer. No one special. Anyway, why couldn't I be a model? If someone were to do my makeup and dress me up nice, don't you think I could do it?"

"Well, you might look alright, but that doesn't mean you would be ready to be a model. Stars require a certain quality that attracts people. You're just… Kyoko."

"I guess," she sighed, her fingers sliding across the page, her gaze falling back on the picture of Tsuruga Ren. He was certainly attractive, in a not-as-handsome-as-Sho sort of way. And even his picture seemed full of charisma. Why did someone like her presume to aspire to a position like his? He was not as amazing as Sho, but still, if she could not reach that level, why did she think that she should try out for that LoveMe project?

And who in their right mind would try out for such a thing?

"Honestly, you're best where you are," Sho said, stretching out and grabbing the remote to turn on the television and watch an interview he had done earlier that day. "It's not like you're Cinderella or anything like that. What good would come of you trying to become a model?"

* * *

There was a large sign on the front of the building, black with hot pink and bright yellow letters declaring that the agency was accepting applicants for the LoveMe initiative. This, Kyoko decided, was proof that either the whole world was crazy, or this was not a hoax. She walked through the front door, approaching the desk quickly in her nervousness.

"Um, hello."

"Hello, miss. How can I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked kindly.

"I was… I was hoping to apply for the LoveMe project," she said quietly, running a nervous hand through her hair. She had come straight from work and knew she looked less than impressive.

"Really?" The woman's voice did not disguise her surprise, and Kyoko bristled again. She had come here because she wanted to change her fortune and make Sho look at her. And if that Lory person had selected her out of a crowd of people, he must have seen some sort of star quality in her. Right?

"Yes," she answered firmly, her back straightening, her face becoming calm.

"I see. And how did you hear about this project?"

"Someone from the company recommended me," she answered promptly. "A Lory-san." The receptionist's eyes grew wide.

"Was he wearing some sort of costume," she asked in a strange voice. Kyoko nodded, wondering just how infamous this man was. "You… are not very familiar with the company, are you?"

Alright, Kyoko was definitely missing something.

"Not especially."

"And you still came to audition?"

"Yes."

"Because Ta- Lory-san recommended you?"

"Yes."

Kyoko left the building, paperwork completed, and a flyer with the date of the audition. She would have to take some time off of work, which was risky, but she hoped that it would work out well.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Jelly Woods. I'll be working with you today."

"It's nice to meet you, Woods-san. I'm Mogami Kyoko," she answered, bowing neatly. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair a wreck, and she was having a hard time breathing after biking so quickly to get here. Jelly gave her a long look, smiled, shook her head, and took Kyoko's hand, dragging her along.

"Let's get to work. Darling's never wrong, but you- you need some magic."

"Magic?"

Jelly giggled at Kyoko's longing, almost desperate tone. "Of course. I am a witch, after all."

"Really?" Her eyes were practically glowing with excitement. She started skipping as she followed Jelly, her mind filling with images of star tipped wands, sparkles, and a beautiful dress fit for a ball for royalty. She was going to be Cinderella. She even had her own witch to cast the magic spell.

Lory wandered into the room just as Jelly was putting the final adjustments on Kyoko's wig. There were a surprisingly large number of applicants for the LoveMe project. Lory suspected that it had a lot to do with the rumor that the audition was much easier to pass then LME's general one, and that Ren worked for the company. It was surprising how well those two facts could work on a female population. The project had not drawn in any men, which Lory had hoped it would, but that could be forgiven. This was good enough.

He spotted Kyoko with Jelly and smiled. He had known she would come. This project was made for girls like her. There would be a final test, just to make sure, but he had the feeling that she would pass with flying colors. He had been looking forward to this since the day he had gotten a call from the front desk telling him that Kyoko had stopped by. The receptionist had mentioned that the girl did not seem to know who Lory was, and he had thanked her for keeping it a secret. There were some things that were more exciting to see in person, and he was looking forward to revealing himself to this Mogami Kyoko.

"Sir, the first group is ready for testing. Should we take them to the room?"

"Yes. And don't forget to notify security. Ren's in the building this morning and the last thing he needs is for one of these young ladies to escape and come after him."

"Yes, sir."

As Jelly finished with Kyoko, the girl was handed over to the wardrobe crew and passed back and forth between two young women who could not decide how best to dress their charge. With makeup and a wig, her appearance was fresher, but it was anyone's guess what would look best on her. After all, anything would look better than what she was currently wearing. They eventually decided on a short jean skirt with an open v-neck sweater that revealed the top of a black halter camisole. A necklace with a large L shaped pendant was thrown around her neck before she was shoved towards a group of waiting girls. Jelly floated over to fuss with Kyoko's hair while she waited, and Kyoko was grateful. Jelly's inane chatter kept Kyoko fairly calm.

"You made it," a cheerful voice at her elbow exclaimed, forcing her to repress a flinch. "I knew you would come."

"I don't turn down challenges," she answered with conviction. Lory smiled at her.

"I didn't think you would. You look very nice, by the way. Even if you don't become an actress or model, you should put more effort into your appearance. You're wasting perfectly good beauty."

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"It isn't exactly my highest priority," she mumbled, remembering all those painful times she had run past the cosmetics and fashionable clothing during her various shopping trips.

"But how will you find someone who loves you if no one pays attention to you?" Lory asked, his apparent genuine confusion only slightly softening the stabbing pain to her heart. Jelly's nodding in agreement did not help.

"It's all well and good to say the inside is what counts," the witch agreed, "but if you don't even try to look at least put together you can't really expect anyone to pay much attention to you."

"I already have someone," Kyoko shot back, pouting. Lory raised a brow.

"Ohhhh? Then why are you here?" Kyoko looked up at him in confusion. "This is a LoveMe initiative. The people here want to be loved. In some way or another, they crave it. Or at least they should. So if you have someone who already looks at you, why are you here?"

Kyoko could not answer, but Lory did not press her to. Someone approached to inform him they were ready for the next group of girls and he sailed out of the room, happily urging the next set to follow him. Jelly remained only for a moment to add, "Having someone you care about is fine, but it hurts a lot when they don't notice." Kyoko would have protested, but the longing look on Jelly's face made Kyoko bite her tongue.

She spent the next twenty minutes avoiding thinking about the implications of Lory and Jelly's words. Then it was time for her to go.

"Step through here," their guide directed. "The instructions are simple. Stand in front of the camera and do what you are told. You'll get your results right away."

The girls looked back and forth in confusion, some of them fiddling with their hair or adjusting their clothes.

"Right away?"

"Can you see if anyone from the other groups is still here?"

"They can't just make snap decisions like that. I'm not a model! I thought there would be an acting test too."

"This isn't fair! I wanted to work with Ren!"

Kyoko repressed a twitch as she heard the actor's name. The general murmur of agreement made her wince and regret her choice of coming here even more. Apparently, this was a gathering ground for Tsuruga Ren groupies. Kyoko was and always would be Sho's biggest fan. She really did not belong here.

The girls started to move through the test, lined up against a wall and placed one by one in front of the camera. Behind them was a large, white screen. Kyoko watched in confused fascination as the cameraman told the girls to strike various poses, the only commonality of his requests being that they pose their right hand forming an L with their thumb and pointer finger. This gesture would be formed hesitantly, the cameraman would shake his head, snap a quick shot, and the girl would be asked to leave, usually escorted by security as she screamed obscenities at the room in general, demanding to get to see Ren.

Kyoko was near the end of the line, and had listened to the girl's whispered comments in front of her as they moved along. Apparently this was beyond unusual for an audition, it was unfathomable. Kyoko shifted nervously as she was told to step up.

"Rotate your right shoulder back a bit," the cameraman ordered. His command was snippy, but Kyoko could tell he was tired. He had been dealing with highly strung females all morning. She could sympathize.

"Like this?" she checked, trying to sound as cooperative as possible. He gave her a small smile and a few more simple instructions before telling her to make the L with her right hand.

"Now try and frame your necklace at the inside corner of your fingers?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Where your fingers join," he clarified. "You're going to invert the L, and it will be backwards, but that shouldn't be a problem." He looked over his shoulder at Lory who nodded approval, smiling mildly. Kyoko made the gesture, trying to keep a straight face, feeling extremely foolish.

There was a flash of light from behind her, and a gasp from the crowd. She blinked, fairly certain that the cameraman had not taken a shot. She dropped the pose, turning around to see what everyone was looking at.

The screen was blank.

She turned back around and gave the crowd a questioning look. Several of them had their mouths hanging open. Others were blinking rapidly. She cocked her head in confusion, watching Lory smile.

"Kobayashi-san," he said to the cameraman, "could you take the picture?"

"Yes, sir," Kobayashi answered, shaking himself slightly and recomposing himself. "Miss, if you could pose again."

"Y-yes," Kyoko answered, controlling her expression and posing her hand again. There was a bright light from behind her, but she kept still until she heard the click of the camera and was given the okay to relax. The moment she did the glow behind her faded. Kobayashi gestured for her to step over to him and look at the picture, something he had not done for any of the other girls.

"Here," he said, showing her the image. Kyoko let out a small gasp as the background of the picture caught her eye. It was not a plain white background. Rather, a small army of cherub like beings holding crowns of leaves hung behind an assortment of golden L's, each one glowing with an intense gold light. She looked at Kobayashi-san in confusion. "It's was his idea," the man explained, nodding at Lory, who had come up behind.

"The backdrop is special," he told Kyoko. "It senses the desire that we're looking for in our potential employees and turns it into that image," he explained. "Congratulations. You're our first LoveMe member, Mogami-kun."

"Oh." She meant to sound unimpressed, but something inside of her was a bit excited. She was the first one to pass.

"Head over there and talk to Sawara Takenori. He's the head of the Talent Department and he'll help you fill out the final paperwork."

"Yes sir," Kyoko answered, bowing and moving out of the way.

She walked over to a middle-aged man with a kind face who looked as exhausted as everyone else in the room. He greeted her with a weak smile and proffered her some papers and a pen, explaining what the papers meant and when she would start.

"Thank you," she told him when she was finished. "I'll be working with you from now on. Please take care of me."

"I look forward to it," Sawara told her. "Oh, and please feel free to keep the clothes. They're a gift to everyone that participated."

Kyoko thanked him profusely again, and dashed out the door. She retrieved her belongings from one of the workers, spotting Jelly on the way and waving at her happily. In the next hall she found a quiet corner and crouched down, fumbling in her bag until she found a tiny wallet and opened the clasp, shaking her Corn stone into her hand. She clenched her fist around it, wishing that her fairy prince could see her now so she could tell him about her almost Cinderella success.

After a few minutes of mumbling and a trickle of happy tears (quickly dashed away to protect her makeup), Kyoko stood and made her way to exit the building the same way she had originally come earlier. Glancing at her watch she realized that she needed to hurry or she would be late getting home. Sho had told her he would be back by five that night and she was finally going to get to eat with him. She needed to make a perfect dinner.

As she sprinted around a corner, she registered too late the quite voices approaching and in her attempt to not crash into the two men who were suddenly in front of her, she threw herself backwards and fell onto the floor, yelping in pain. The men stopped and stared at her in surprise for a long moment before the taller one proffered her a hand with a gentle, polite smile.

"Are you alright?" he asked, crouching slightly so that he could reach her. She stared at him for a brief second, trying to remember why he was so very familiar, and recoiled in disgust as she realized it was Sho's rival, Tsuruga Ren. He blinked in surprise and the man in glasses next to him gave Tsuruga a questioning, accusatory look. "Miss?"

"I'm fine," she answered, getting to her feet on her own and brushing herself off. She tried for civil, but a bit of acidity was in her tone. Tsuruga frowned.

"We haven't met before, have we?" he asked carefully.

"No," she answered, rolling her eyes at such a suggestion. He smiled again, but she felt something cold in that look that made her recoil again.

"Then I have to say, I'm a bit surprised by your actions. I can't have done something to offend you since we've never met. And it's polite to accept help when it's offered, you know."

Kyoko was about to reply when a voice called out from behind her, "Ah, Ren, Yashiro-san, you've met our newest addition to the family. This is Mogami-kun, our first and very promising LoveMe member."

Ren glared at Lory. "So you really went through with it?"

"Of course. It was a brilliant idea."

"You know I have to disagree with you about that, Takarada-shachou." Ren was surprised when Kyoko whipped around, her mouth agape and her eyes wide open. Something between a whine and a whimper escaped from her.

"I made sure not to mention it," Lory explained kindly to the stunned girl. "And I told everyone else to keep it secret as well. I didn't want it to impact your decision." Ren looked at his boss with a frown and was about to speak when suddenly Kyoko threw herself on the ground at Lory's feet, a stream of words pouring from her mouth, loudly and at such a high speed that it took all of the men a full minute to realized she was apologizing for her mistake and not having given Lory the proper respect. This continued for enough time, Lory simply smiling and watching in amusement, that Ren felt it his duty as a gentleman to save the girl's dignity and explain that Lory was now teasing her.

"Mogami-san, that's enough," he told her, pulling her arm to bring her out of her dogeza.

"I'm not apologizing to you!" she snapped, yanking her arm back and glaring at him. Lory laughed at the stunned look on Ren's face, and patted Kyoko's head gently.

"I appreciate you apology," her new employer told her with a chuckle. "And I'm glad I hired you. You're going to be just what we were looking for." Ren and Kyoko both gave him an incredulous look, but he ignored them and turned to Yashiro. "Can you walk her to the exit? Whoever collected her visitor's pass when she changed managed to misplace it, and I don't want her thrown out of her new home."

Yashiro agreed, earning an especially bright, disquieting smile from Ren when he asked the actor if it was alright. Kyoko, meanwhile, was a little distracted by the idea of being a part of the LME family and calling this place her home. Was that really what it was going to be from now on? She looked at Lory uncertainly, and he smiled reassuringly.

"If you'll follow me, Mogami-san, I can show you out," Yashiro said with a bow.

"Thank you very much!" she answered with her own bow. Ren promised to meet the bespectacled man shortly and Kyoko was left to a quiet walk where Yashiro discovered a very interesting array of faces that the girl could make as she contemplated the fact that she might need to quit all of her other part time jobs. And tell Sho she was working for the enemy…  She clutched her Corn stone tightly for strength, suddenly feeling exhausted.

* * *

Sho walked into the apartment and was surprised to find Kyoko curled up on the floor of the living room. She was dressed in an outfit he had never suspected her of owning and appeared to have a wig in her hand. When he tried to wake her she mumbled something about magic and witches and Sho decided she must have finally lost her mind. After realizing that she had had her breakdown after making dinner and there was still something for him to eat, he grabbed a blanket off of her bed, threw it over her, and sat down to address his food.


End file.
